


You Could Be My Wife

by TarotQueen



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Playing House, brief mentions of domestic violence, childhood AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2019-12-18 04:25:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18242345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TarotQueen/pseuds/TarotQueen
Summary: “It’s all part of make-believe." Mikasa raised an eyebrow at Annie. "Don’t tell me you’ve never played house before…"“I’ve never played house before.” Annie clarified.“What did I just say.”--------------------------------------A childhood friends AU- where Annie decides to run away from home, which inadvertently becomes the best decision of her life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> super late birthday gift for my sweet summer child, Li. Sorry it's so late, I love you! <3

* * *

  
  
  
“No breaks, Annie!”

 

Since morning, she had been at it. It had been this way every single day, from the brink of dawn till the mask of dusk. Annie would train with her father until every bone and muscle in her body ached. With blistered soles and sweaty skin, the young girl lie on all fours and desperately tried to catch her breath. She wiped away the last trace of vomit from the corner of her mouth and looked up helplessly at her father, who seemed less than proud of her display that day.

 

“ **Annie** , get up!” His strict gaze bore stinging holes into her composure. “Get up and try it again! A warrior never quits!”

 

She nearly shook in place as she heaved in for air, any air at all. Her chest felt compressed; ribs painfully squeezed at her lungs. Each day she would be broken down like this so that she could rise back up stronger, but this was far too much. She was utterly sick of it. Today his shouts and commands were nothing like she had ever heard. Everything he had asked of her, she had done with no objection. Yet no matter how hard she kicked or punched, it was never enough.

 

“The day’s not over yet! Get up, we’re going at it again!”

 

When would it finally be enough? Annie would ask herself this question time and time again whenever she was brought to her knees, her body broken. Why wasn’t her undying loyalty enough for her father? Why wasn’t her endless dedication, her grueling routines enough to satisfy him? Why wasn’t she enough?

 

“Are you even listening to me, Annie?!?”

 

As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t gather the strength to plead for him to stop.

 

“I said, are you LISTENING to me, Annie????!”

 

This time, he grabbed at the hood of her jacket in an attempt to yank her back up. Annie could only gasp as the action restricted her breathing even more. He had forced her to make eye contact so he could continue to bark his orders at her, though she was too exhausted to continue. Perhaps her efforts weren’t enough for her father, perhaps he would never have enough. But she knew one thing- _she_ certainly had enough.

 

This was the first time Annie had ever tried to run away. She tore herself from her father’s grasp and used anything she had left inside her to run. Though her hands and feet bled and her chest quivered, the fire that had suddenly brewed inside kept her legs moving strong. She easily drowned out the cries of her father as he called for her to stop. When he attempted to pursue her, her body granted her the adrenaline to move even faster. Into the woods she fled, and there would be no stopping her.

 

The burst of strength didn’t begin to wane until she was deep in the forest, further than she had ever dared to venture before. Numbness in her heart prevented any desire to look back, any desire at all to consider what sort of consequences she would be faced with upon returning home. In her mind, she wasn’t going to come home. She was not going to stop until her legs failed her.

 

In the blink of an eye, they failed. One moment she was dashing at top speed, the wind whipping across her sweaty face, the next she was tumbling down a shallow slope into the dirt below. The fall knocked the wind out of her and left her lying in the dirt, wheezing.

 

Now all she could do was let the tears begin to fall. Here she was- bloody, bruised, and filthy, without any hope of ever escaping the vicious cycle that was her day to day routine. Her chest rose up sharply with a painful breath as she began to sob silently. How she wished she could just disappear and never come out of this lonely, empty forest that seemed to stretch out for miles.

 

At least she thought it had been empty. That is, until she heard several young voices nearby, chattering in an excited manner.

 

“Hey, did you guys hear that sound??” Came the soft voice of a young boy.

 

“Geez, what the heck was that? That sure was loud!” The voice of another boy was much fiercer than the first. “I’m gonna go check it out.”

 

“Oh no you don’t.” Now Annie could hear the voice of a young girl as well. “You and Armin stay right there. I’ll go.”

 

This unknown girl sounded a lot closer than the boys. The noise of leaves crunching beneath her feet as she came closer caused Annie to flinch helplessly.

 

“Uh...m-maybe you shouldn’t go out there on your own. It could be a bear or something!”

 

“...Huh??” The noisier boy grunted in confusion. “If Mikasa ran into a bear out in these woods, I’d feel sorry for the _bear_.”

 

More footsteps were heard approaching. As they came closer, Annie’s heart raced faster. She wasn’t supposed to be out here. No one was supposed to know she was here. Her father had kept her mostly secluded from the outside world and there was hardly an exception to this rule. Part of Annie wanted to pick herself off of the ground and take off running again, but she just didn’t feel as though she had the strength.

 

Though, once the face of the young stranger appeared from over the edge of the slope above her, Annie felt oddly relieved. She looked down at Annie with dusky, yet gentle eyes and the darkest hair Annie believed she had ever seen. Strands of black whirled across her fair cheeks in a sudden gust of crisp, spring air. For a moment, Annie thought she might be hallucinating- that perhaps she was looking at an angel.

 

The stranger’s eyes widened at the sight of another child present in the forest where the three of them played. Since Annie was clearly bloodied and bruised, the girl wasted no time to come to her aid. Gracefully she slid down through the leaves and dirt to where the other lie.

 

“You fell?” The young girl crouched down beside Annie, using a gentle, yet solemn voice.

 

Annie did her best to scramble up to her feet as if she needed to pretend she wasn’t so vulnerable. Though, it was pretty clumsy and most likely didn’t look believable.

 

“Y-yeah…” She brushed away a good portion of dirt from her cheek.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

“I’m fine. I uh...guess I just didn’t see where I was going.”

 

Without asking or being asked, the girl snatched up Annie’s left arm to investigate the gnarly looking wound across the top. Annie flinched fearfully at this sudden contact, as she wasn’t exactly used to much physical contact unless it was by her father’s merciless hand.

 

“This doesn’t look so good.” The girl tilted her head and narrowed her eyes to get a closer look. After investigating it thoroughly, the girl’s eyes met Annie’s in a more suspicious manner. “...What exactly are you doing out here anyway?”

 

Fibbing had never been one of Annie’s skills, though she knew she would have to. A painful, dry lump had formed in her throat as she didn’t quite know what she could say without sounding too sketchy.

 

“Mikaaaasssaaa!” Conveniently came the voice of one of the boys. Moments later, he too appeared from above with a full head of golden hair and big blue eyes.

 

“Everything alright down there??” The second boy trailed right behind him. His turquoise-green eyes widened when he spotted both girls. “Who the heck is that??”

 

Mikasa shot her a look as if prodding Annie to answer for her.

 

“Annie.” She answered without really thinking it through. “My name’s Annie.”

 

“WHaAAAAAT?” The louder of the two boys called down when he couldn’t hear Annie’s soft reply.

 

“Her name’s Annie, Eren.” Mikasa shouted back.

 

“Danny??” Eren somehow still could not make out either of their responses.

 

“No, Eren. _Annie._ ”

 

“Mannie??”

 

“Her name’s ANNIE.” Mikasa raised her voice even louder, but to no avail.

 

“Fanny???”

 

“Oh my god.”

 

Knowing her efforts were fruitless, Mikasa took Annie by her uninjured arm and carefully led her back up to slope to properly introduce her. This was all very strange. Annie hadn’t really socialized much with children her age outside of warrior training. Even in training, she kept her distance from all the others.

 

“This is Annie.” Mikasa gestured towards her for added emphasis and then waved her hand towards the two boys to point to each. “Annie, this is Eren and Armin.”

 

“Heyy!” Eren offered her a small wave in return.

 

“Hi!” Armin’s greeting came abruptly afterward with a big, warm smile. “Are you okay, Annie?”

 

“You look like you got chased by the bear!”

 

“For the _last_ time,” Mikasa sighed, “There’s not a bear in this forest.”

 

“Well then, I’m telling it you said that.”

 

Attention definitely shouldn’t have been brought to her wounds, or so Annie thought. She hid her arm behind her back before either of the boys could notice it was still bleeding.

 

“Thanks for asking, but I’m fine.” Annie kept her reply stiff and brief.

 

“That’s a relief!” Armin’s eyes lit up. “In that case, you should play house with us!”

 

“Yeah!” Eren pumped his fist enthusiastically. “We could use a fourth person!”

 

“Can she play with us, Mikasa?” Asked Armin before Annie even had a split second of time to object or agree to any of this.

 

The conversation had whirled around her head so fast, Annie had a difficult time processing what was going on.

 

“I suppose so.” The other girl turned her cheek to the side to regain eye contact with Annie. “What do you say to that?”

 

“I…” Annie wasn’t opposed to the idea, even though the thought of playing around instead of training made her slightly uneasy. “I guess I could stay and play for a little bit.”

 

She wasn’t exactly sure why she had said yes. It wasn’t so much the idea of having “fun” or avoiding responsibilities as it was the look on Mikasa’s face when the two boys started excitedly suggesting the new girl play with them. It was the softest little smile, barely noticeable, the sweetest curl of lips. Mikasa’s grin boasted that she was not just a stern protector of the two boys, but someone who dearly cared and cherished them as well. Annie couldn’t help thinking...well...perhaps sticking around to see this girl smile wouldn’t be so bad.

 

“Aw yeah!” Armin cheered along with Eren as they gripped their new friend by her wrists and dashed away, back to the treefort they had used as their playhouse.

 

The three children had quite the setup. The treefort itself was impressive, nestled high in the branches of a sturdy oak tree. It appeared to be very well built; certainly not by the hands of the children themselves. There were two stories, the first being entirely enclosed, with a steadfast roof and a small balcony to overlook the forest below. Little windows had been built on either side and it even had its own door so the room could be entirely closed up. It looked warm and cozy, so Annie understood immediately why they’d want to play house here.

 

The second story had been installed higher up in the tree, with the branches keeping it nearly hidden from view. This story was more of a deck than a house, however, with rails that wrapped around its perimeter to prevent any of the rascals from falling off. It lacked a roof, which did seem a bit odd to Annie.

 

Perhaps it was so that you could lie on its floor with a great view of the sky above. Regardless of its purpose, the entirety of the structure was breathtaking to her. She had never had much to play with back home, much less- friends to enjoy anything with. While the thought that yes, she should _not_ be out here with a trio of strangers, she didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to stave off the loneliness her confined lifestyle brought upon her.

 

“Isn’t it cool??” Eren’s face beamed with pride as he practically leaped up the house’s ladder like an acrobat. “My dad and Armin’s grandpa built this all by themselves!”

 

Annie clambered after the two boys, Mikasa at her heels. It felt as though she was disappearing into the trees, away from the rest of the world. Up high, everything felt so small and everything felt so much simpler. Here she was further away from the hell on earth that was her life than she thought she could ever get, and quickly she began to tuck away the thoughts of her father.

 

For a moment, Annie nearly slipped as she planted her foot on one of the higher steps. Before she could stagger backward, she felt a strong palm press against her back. She looked over her shoulder and into Mikasa’s starry, twilight eyes, to see that the dark-haired girl had reached to protect her on reflex. It was the single gesture that would spark the attachment towards Mikasa that was to come. She wanted to see this girl smile; she wanted this girl to be the one to catch her when she would fall.

 

“So Mikasa...who is Annie going to be?” Questioned Armin as he ambled after Eren inside the house.

 

Annie flashed her a bit of a confused stare, as she knew nothing of the rules of playing house.

 

“Eren and Armin play as the two kids,” Mikasa began to explain as she pulled herself onto the porch and proceeded to wipe the bottoms of her shoes on the doormat that lie outside the door. “I play as their mother. And you...”

 

She looked straight into Annie’s eyes, piercing her deeper than skin itself. Her tone was stable, unwavering, yet those eyes were nothing but soft.

 

“...You could be my wife.”

 

It was then that she took the breath right from Annie’s lungs, and who knew if she’d ever get it back.

 

“WooHOO!” Eren’s cheers rung across the walls. “Now we have _two_ moms!’

 

“Two moms! TWO MOMS!” Armin joined in with a round of joyous applause.

 

The two boys hooted and hollered for a few more moments to celebrate while Annie took the time to compose herself and hopefully allow her cheeks to turn back to their normal color.  
  
“So are you gonna be the fun mom?” Excitedly asked Eren as he spun around to face her.

 

“No.” Mikasa bluntly answered for her.

 

“Aw what??”

 

“Bedtime, now. Shoo.”

 

“ _WHAT??_ ”

 

“But mom…” Armin tenderly objected, “What about a bedtime story?”

 

“Bedtime story?” She gave him a funny look. “Ok, fine. Once upon a time, there were two poorly behaved little boys.”  
  
“What were their names?” He inquired sweet and innocently, with his big, blue eyes shining. He already sounded completely invested.  
  
“Names? Oh. Well..hm. Let’s see…”  
  
“Did you _forget_ the names?” Eren sounded mildly outraged.  
  
“No??” To counter, Mikasa sounded just as offended. “Who do you think I am.”  
  
“Someone who forgets names in stories apparently.”  
  
“I…” She blinked at him in disbelief. “I didn’t forget. The names were…” She looked at both of the boys and blinked once more, her brow furrowed in thought. “...Darren and Carmin.”  
  
“Those kind of sound...familiar…?” Armin interrupted curiously.  
  
“No they don’t.” She cut him off. “Anyways. Once upon a time, Darren Meager and Carmin Armlet were two very badly behaved boys who lived in the forest with their wonderful, smart and kind-hearted mother.”  
  
“Okay...” Armin stopped her again. “Now those names sound _really_ familiar…”  
  
“False.” She lifted one of her hands to stop him in his tracks. “Now, one night, Darren and Carmin were _very_ disobedient and didn’t go to sleep when their mother asked. The night was cold, bleak, a whiff of evil stirred in the winds. Their wonderful, _very wise_ mother warned her sons of this evil she sensed, but they boys were stubborn little dungholes who wouldn’t listen to her. It was then, on that cold night that the two little boys were _snatched_ from their beds by hungry, horrible giants.”  
  
Eren and Armin both gasped in fear and grabbed hold of one another as if they had seen the giants themselves.  
  
“The two little boys were taken far away, far from their home, never to be seen again. No one is quite sure what happened to Darren and Carmin, but some say to those very giants still roam these woods to this very day, hungry for little boys who don’t listen to their mothers.”  
  
The boys didn’t release a peep, nor did they move a muscle. They just stared at Mikasa with wide, terrified eyes as if some awful creature could show up behind her at any given moment. Mikasa raised an eyebrow after almost thirty seconds of silence and Annie had been fidgeting uncomfortably the entirety of the time.  
  
“Go to bed.”  
  
Both boys shrieked nearly several octaves higher than the human ear was able to register. Although her voice was cool and deadpan, the sudden shattering of silence was enough to rustle the boys out of their minds. They then willingly bolted their way up the second ladder, all the way to the second floor near the treetop that served as their ‘bedroom’. Up here lie quite an array of comfy blankets and cushions, almost as if the boys had constructed themselves some sort of ramshackle pillowfort. In reality, neither of them truly minded being sent up there- as the view was incredible after all.

 

As Eren and Armin settled themselves into their beds, flinging themselves underneath the blankets, Annie’s eyes darted from the sky and back to Mikasa. She stood awkwardly, at a loss of what to do next.  
  
“And _that’s_ how it’s done.” Mikasa dusted off her hands, proud of her accomplishment.

 

“Bedtime?” Annie’s perplexed expression tilted with her head. “But...it’s still daylight…?”

 

“If you use your imagination, you can make it any time of the day you so choose.” Now the other girls head tilted along with her. “It’s all part of make-believe. Don’t tell me you’ve never played house before…”

 

Well, she hadn’t. Annie just blinked hesitantly and hoped her lack of experience wouldn’t upset her.

 

“I’ve never played house before.” She clarified.

 

“What did I just say.”

 

In return, Annie could only shrug hesitantly, though she knew Mikasa’s demeanor was still light-hearted. She seemed to have a rather blunt, deadpan sense of humor that could be difficult to detect, but Annie found this far more amusing than she did intimidating.

 

Now that the boys were long gone, tucked away in their room upstairs for the ‘night’, Mikasa scooted Annie into the house and instructed her to sit at the table. Well at least, Annie was assuming this was their table. It was composed of a simple, square plank of wood that was held up by two low crates on either side. The interior of the treehouse was pretty basic, but warm. On the left side hung a decent sized hammock and to the right hung several shelves, filled with various cans and boxes. It actually managed to look like a little kitchen.

 

“Now, let me look at that wound.” Mikasa shuffled through a bag set underneath the rows of shelves as she spoke up. “I know you said you were fine...but, I think you need to be patched up.”

 

From the bag, she pulled out a roll of bandages and some rubbing alcohol, scooted up next to the table and went right to work on Annie’s bloodied arm. This girl certainly was prepared, and skillful furthermore. She gave Annie’s hand a gentle squeeze while her arm was swabbed with the burning alcohol and somehow it didn’t seem to hurt one bit. Perhaps it was because the injured girl was in awe.

 

Not once had her father ever bothered to bandage a single one of her wounds back home, and now a complete stranger was taking all the care in the world to make sure it was cleaned and wrapped up safely. Her father had always taught her they’d heal just fine on their own, that her broken skin would grow back tougher than before. Why was a girl who just met her treating her body as if it was something to be protected and cared for, rather than something that needed to be molded into something stronger?

 

“...Thank you.” Was all Annie could manage to blurt out.

 

“Of course!” She brushed it off as if it were a commonplace action. “This way, you shouldn’t get any sort of infection now. How did this happen anyways, honey?”

 

 _Honey._ Annie had actually forgotten they were playing house for a moment. If Mikasa showing her such kindness wasn’t already enough, this was going to be the death of her for sure.

 

“Oh uhh…” Annie’s voice trailed off as she shifted her eyes towards the window. “It was uh…” Awkwardly, she averted her eyes back to Mikasa, who stared at her curiously. She gathered herself up when she realized she didn’t really need to be honest about it. They _were_ playing make-believe anyway. “It was the bear, actually.”

 

“Ugh, you’re on that too?” With a click of her teeth, Mikasa sighed loudly. “Has everyone in this house gone mad?”

 

“Yes dear.”

 

Mikasa sighed again as she continued to run her fingers over the other girl’s bandage.  
  
“Well...just be more careful. Are you trying to make a widow of me, at such a young age?”

 

The two girls only had a moment to giggle quietly to each other before the shrill screech of Eren snapped their attention.

 

“GAHHHHHHHHHHH!” His shout could be clearly heard from upstairs. “We slept in too late! We’re gonna be late for school!”

 

Eren clumsily scrambled down the ladder with Armin right behind him. They were behaving so dramatically and convincingly Annie had to keep reminding herself it was all an act.

 

“Shoot! We almost forgot our books!” Huffed Armin as he made a dash for the kitchen table, snatched up several coloring books and a box of crayons to toss into his backpack. “C’mon Eren, let's make a run for it!”

 

“ **GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!** ”

 

Down the second ladder they went, right to the ground below. Once they had landed, the two of them made a quick dash off into the woods, still hollering on their way out.

 

“Mr. bus driver, waiiiiiiiiiiit!” Armin squealed.

 

“GET BACK HERE COWARD!”

 

Into the distance their voices faded, leaving the two girls completely alone on the balcony. Annie squinted her eyes to catch the last glimpse of them from afar as they dashed away, off to wherever ‘school’ was. She thoroughly expected Mikasa to dart after them, but instead, the other girl merely shook her head and sighed.

“Ah well...this is because they take after you, you know.”

 

“What??” Annie took a step back. “Don’t put this on me! I wanted to stop at one kid!”

 

“Look, I wanted a daughter and Armin is close enough.”

 

With that, Mikasa shooed her back into the house and promptly shut the door behind them. One look at Annie and it was obvious she was more than worn out for the day.

 

“Well…” Mikasa began, “I’m going to start on some housework and in the meantime, you really should get some rest, honey. You look exhausted.”

 

She motioned to Annie, and then the rather comfy looking cotton hammock beside them. The worn-out girl at least needed to lie down for a moment, just a moment. Every muscle in her body still ached.

 

“Oh uh…” Annie then hesitated, “Wouldn’t you want help with the chores? I don’t- _AAAAAH_ ”

 

She grunted in astonishment as Mikasa effortlessly hoisted her up into her arms and plopped her into the hammock. The dark-haired girl by no means looked strong enough to lift Annie, but today had already proved to be full of the unexpected.

 

“There!” Mikasa that patted her fair head and tossed a blanket over her. “Now you rest up.”

From what Annie understood of her “wife” so far, it was that she was going to do whatever it took to provide for her.

This was something Annie had never been used to. Never had she curled up into bed, drifting to sleep knowing she had someone who cared, someone who would look out for her. Was this what it felt like to have a wife?

 

Annie wasn’t sure, but she did find herself dozing off in no time. There was no pit of fear in her gut, worried her father would lean over her bed and shout at her. She didn’t feel pain or soreness her body usually ached with. There was only the gentle sound of wind against the window, the subtle creaking of branches.

 

Often times, the last thing Annie saw before falling asleep were tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Today was a different story. Annie smiled softly to herself as her eyelids slowly closed, the last image in sight being Mikasa, pretending to wash a stack of ‘dirty’ dishes.

 

At that moment, Annie supposed, perhaps, this is what a home would truly feel like-  
and this was the love of a wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I planned on this being at least three chapters long. I've been very slow with updating stories in general, but I hope to continue this story. Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A not-so-late birthday gift for Li! Happy birthday, Li!
> 
> Thank you guys for leaving such nice comments in the last chapter and encouraging me to continue this, I really appreciate all of you guys! I don't plan on this story being too long, but I do intend to finish it. Hope this chapter came out nicely!

 

* * *

 

 

The heavy flow of rain pattered against the dingy glass of Annie’s bedroom window. The sky had been crying all night long, just like the way she had been. She sniffled and wiped away another round of tears, smearing her face in teardrops and the dried blood she accumulated from her father’s “extra practice”. 

 

As she re-wrapped her dirty bandages over her hands, she thought of the way Mikasa had tended to her so fondly. It was rather ill-fated that she alone couldn’t provide herself the same comfort. Her cuts and bruises still stung and ached. As the rain steadied into a drizzle, she turned in her bed to lie on her side, choking back a sob. Why couldn’t she have stayed in the treehouse with Mikasa, Eren, and Armin? Why couldn’t the view outside her window be the lush branches of that strong tree, rather than that horrid backyard where she’d spend the day tearing her body apart?

 

Why couldn’t she be with Mikasa instead? Already Annie longed to hear her gentle voice again, to feel that caring touch. It hurt so bad. Annie wondered how her heart could possibly still be beating if it was broken this badly. 

 

She couldn’t help but wonder where Mikasa was now, and if she would ever be able to see her again.

 

Meanwhile, miles away on the other side of the vast forest, Mikasa held her hand outside her open window. Eren had stirred from his sleep in his bed across the room and sleepily raised an eyebrow at the sight of it. 

 

“Mikasa!” Eren grumbled as he rubbed his sleepy eyes. “What the heck are you doing?  It’s still raining out there!” 

 

Mikasa didn’t turn to face him and stayed focused on her task. She had her palm cupped and the water held inside was overflowing.

 

“I’m catching Annie’s teardrops.” she answered him without moving an inch. 

 

“Wh-” he shook his head, eyes bulging at this absurd comment. “What?? What are you talking about??”

 

“I know I don’t see her, but I just feel like...wherever she is...she’s probably hurting.” her voice trailed off. Her eyes were still concentrating on her hand and the droplets of water that wouldn’t stop coming. “I know I can’t be there with her...but I’m going to catch every tear that falls.”

 

Eren blinked at her repeatedly. How long had she had that window open…?

 

“Are you still playing pretend or something…?” he groaned, “Cut it out! That’s just rain and you’re going to get it all over our toys!”

 

“Not until they stop falling.”

 

“ **Mikasa**!” he barked in a hushed voice, “It’s just rain! Just water! Don’t you know what water feels like??”

 

“Do you know what having your mouth tied shut feels like?” 

 

“N-no…” he gulped suddenly when her tone had been undeniably serious. 

 

“Would you like to?”

 

“Not particularly.”

 

“Then go back to sleep, Eren.” she reverted back to her mellower attitude. “I’ll sleep as soon as I’m done.”

 

Eren couldn’t be more confused. To be fair, Mikasa did seem to have a sort of...intuition when it came to the safety of others. She always knew when Eren had gotten himself into trouble, or when Armin was upset. It was pretty customary for Mikasa to show up in the middle of a fist fight Eren had caused, or to visit Armin with one of his favorite snacks when he was having a bad day. Perhaps this range of senses had expanded for Annie’s sake as well. 

 

Whatever the reason be, Eren reluctantly tucked himself into bed and tried hard not to think about their soiled toys. After all, Mikasa did say she would turn in as soon as the storm passed.

 

Morning came, and Annie sat up in her bed, dried tears staining her cheeks. She was amazed she had so much water in her body. Mikasa awoke to find herself leaning halfway out the window, her arm hanging over the side. The grass was still wet and almost seemed to glisten in the morning light.

 

Neither girl had slept peacefully that night.

 

* * *

 

“Change your STANCE, Annie!” 

 

Another day, another earful of her father’s relentless commands. 

 

“Do NOT make me show you again! Change your stance and STRIKE!”

 

After some footwork adjustment, Annie lunged forward, striking the sandbag with as much force as she could. Every bone in her body rattled from the impact. It had already been hours, and her body had almost gone numb from the pain. Her mind had gone into a daze and she didn’t even know where her thoughts had drifted to. She knew her father was screaming at her, yet the words weren’t really comprehending well. All she could do was strike her target mindlessly, over and over. 

 

She couldn’t collapse from exhaustion just yet. It wasn’t even noon. Her father had planned on teaching her several new techniques, but was displeased to see her sloppy footwork. In reality, Annie’s blisters hadn’t healed and her bruises still ached with the utmost intensity. 

 

A spark of hope came when Annie heard the voice of a man, beckoning her father’s name from the front yard. She recognized the voice. It was the man who would frequently join her father for a couple rounds of whiskey during the night. 

 

“Shit.” her father clenched his teeth and growled underneath his breath. “Go inside, Annie. Don’t go to the front yard, you understand?”

 

With that, he dismissed himself. Now Annie stood at the edge of the wood, completely unsupervised. Her thoughts were returning to her, and she could only think of one thing. She could only think of how badly she wanted to play house again. 

 

But what would become of her, should she choose to disobey her father’s orders once more? She was still recovering from the consequences of her last “escape”.

 

On the other hand...was this what she would choose to subject herself to? To this endless cycle that lacked even a _taste_ of happiness? 

 

No.

 

Annie huffed and caught her breath as quickly as she could. She was going to make a run for it. She looked behind her once more to make sure her father was completely out of sight. Then, she took off into the woods. She didn’t care. She didn’t care if she disappointed him. She didn’t care how hard she’d be beaten for it. She just wanted to be with Mikasa again.

 

It was a miracle Annie even managed to find the treehouse again. The first time she had stumbled across it by chance, but on the way back she took a little more care at trying to familiarize the path home. Admittedly, she was terrified thinking she wouldn’t be able to find it again. The moment the treehouse came into vision she actually _smiled_ for the first time since she had left. 

 

She excitedly scaled the ladder and swung the door open to find the house empty. That wasn’t a big surprise; surely they would stop by to play again.

 

  
Annie’s confidence dwindled some when hours passed with no sign of the trio. She slid out of the hammock where she had been resting and approached the window. All she could see were trees, an endless sea of trees. The forest seemed darker than when she had arrived for some reason. The sky then grumbled with thunder and Annie realized why. Her heart sunk as the rain began to fall, pounding against the roof. 

 

There was no way they would come now, not with this rain. Annie felt like crying. She just that warm feeling to come back, more than anything, and now there was no chance. Now she would meet her father’s punishment without bearing the strength Mikasa’s affection had given her. The tears began to fall, and Annie felt her legs turn to jelly. She slid against the wall, face buried in her hands. Her heart was breaking all over again.

 

What if she _really_ never saw Mikasa again?

 

Her shoulders shook as she gasped for breath. She squeezed her eyes as tightly as she could and whimpered before letting out a sob.

 

“M-Mikasa…” she wept, _“...where are you_?”

 

Another rumble of thunder shook the sky and the winds began to howl against the walls. 

 

“Come back... _please…”_

 

Annie tried to let go. She tried to bring herself back into that mindless haze that made everything sting just a little less. She tried to forget about those starry, twilight eyes and the sweet names she had been called, but she just couldn’t. Why couldn’t the pain just stop?

 

Thank goodness Mikasa had that intuition.

 

“ **_GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_ **” came the sound of Eren’s trademark screech out of nowhere. 

 

Annie didn’t really think that sound was able to bring her an indescribable amount of joy, but there it was. 

 

“The storm’s getting worse!!” Armin’s voice was a little harder to hear over the storm. 

 

“We’re almost there.” Mikasa hurried behind them. “We’ll be safe once we’re inside.”

 

Annie’s heart leaped and fluttered. She sprung to her feet with a burst of new energy.  _There_ was that warm feeling again, soothing the ache of her fractured heart. They were here, thank **_goodness_ **...they were here. 

 

“Hey, look!” Eren pointed up at the window. “Other mom’s here!”

 

“Mom! Mom Mom!” Armin said giddily with a skip in the mud. 

 

“Mom WE’RE **_DYING._ **” Eren shrieked again, sprinting through the puddles towards the ladder. 

 

“We’re on death’s verge, mom! 

 

“Cut it out.” Mikasa scolded them as she pushed them up the ladder. “Get inside and we’ll get dried off.” 

 

The trio trudge into the house soaked to the bone. Eren and Armin looked like wild animals, but Annie couldn’t believe how lovely Mikasa still looked- even with her wet hair strewn all over her face.

 

“Hello, my love.” came that healing timbre that Annie was becoming so smitten with. Mikasa looked at her with such a docile, caring expression. It was one that greatly contrasted the blank, unamused look she would often give the boys. 

 

“H-hey…” was all Annie could actually bring herself to say.

 

“It’s a good thing we took in all the blankets and pillows we keep on the roof!” Armin sighed with a small smile. Mikasa noticed immediately that he was shivering.

 

“We’re gonna die from nuhmoonya!” Eren gasped. “I didn’t wanna go out this way!”

 

“It’s _pneumonia,_ and you’re going to be fine.” she insisted. 

 

Once Mikasa had snatched some blankets for the two boys, she turned her attention to Annie. 

 

“You two focus on getting dry,” she advised as she came closer. “I’m going to focus on…”

 

Mikasa’s expression shifted- her mouth dropped open just a tad and her eyes widened. She immediately noticed how the corner of Annie’s eye was a strange shade of blue and purple. Of course, her first instinct was to bring her fingers up to the side of Annie’s face and brush the skin gingerly. Annie felt herself sigh and shiver. **_Nothing_ **could have made her feel better at that moment. 

 

“...your wounds.” Mikasa finished her sentence once she had collected her thoughts. “Is your arm...bleeding again?”

 

“Ah…” Annie had almost forgotten about that. “...yeah. Probably.”

 

With that, Mikasa sprung forward and fumbled through their supplies, determined to get right to work. The boys had situated themselves around the “table”, nestled in their warm blankets. 

 

"I thought I told you not to make a widow of me." Mikasa tucked the stray strands of hair behind her ears, ready to get down to business. She set down her bag of first-aid supplies and situated herself beside her. 

 

"Mmmm..." Annie tilted her head down for a moment, noting the frantic beating inside her chest. Was it loud enough for Mikasa to hear?

 

"I hope you're not doing anything dangerous."

 

"I..." Annie was back in that position where she'd have to conjure up a quick fib. It was pretty easy to do once she got herself into character."I uh...um. Well, I was probably just pushing myself too hard again. Someone has to keep bread on the table, you know."

 

"Ah..." she nodded, shutting her eyes briefly. Annie genuinely couldn't tell if Mikasa suspected the truth about her home life. "Well...if you're going to work hard to keep us fed..."

 

Mikasa carefully grasped Annie's arm and brought some damp cotton to one of her wounds.

 

"...I'll make sure to work hard to patch you back up." 

 

As Mikasa wiped away any traces of blood carefully, Annie felt herself wanting to cry once more. She wasn’t quite sure why. Mikasa was right **_here,_ **right before her very eyes. What was there to cry about? Perhaps it was the thought of having to say goodbye again later. Whatever the reason being, she couldn’t stop the tear from rolling down her cheek. 

 

Mikasa did a little peculiar thing where she reached forward, trapping the tear in the palm of her hand before it could fall. Annie sniffled back any other tears that beckoned to come forward and looked into Mikasa’s eyes curiously. 

 

“Huh…?” 

 

“Don’t worry.” Mikasa leaned forward and smiled. “I caught it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I do have plans for a few more chapters, and will apologize in advance for slow updates


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just in time for Day 1 of Mikannie Week!  
> Don't worry, I haven't abandoned this story <3 thank you guys for leaving your kind words. I appreciate everything you guys say!

* * *

  
  
  
“So…” lacklusterly grumbled Eren, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. “We’re gonna be stuck in the house until the storm passes, huh?”

 

The four children were definitely going to be sealed up in the treehouse until the thunderstorm began to die down. The rain was pelting the roof mercilessly and the rumbles of thunder made Annie jump a little almost every time.

 

“Well, look on the bright side, Eren-“ Armin cheerfully looked up from his coloring book. “This means you don’t have to go to school until then either!”

 

“For real?” his jaw dropped open before he rambunctiously pumped his fist and hollered. “ _YES!_ ”

 

“Don’t get _too_ excited, now.” Mikasa cut his celebration off abruptly. “That doesn’t mean we still can’t learn anything today.”

 

A barrage of groans bleated from Eren’s lips.

 

“Aw _what??”_

 

“You heard me.” she gestured for the two boys to join her at the ‘table’. “Have a seat.”

 

Eren ambled over with a pout on his face, though he did plop himself down across from her. Armin was right behind him with a bright smile for some reason. 

 

“What the heck do you look all happy about??” 

 

“Well...I mean, I actually like school..!” Armin scratched the back of his neck. “Well...maybe not when we have a ton of homework, but...I do like learning.”

 

“Your brother has the right attitude.” Mikasa reached over to pat the top of his golden head while giving him the softest, most pure smile. “That’s already something you can learn from, Eren.” 

 

Eren facepalmed himself and groaned again. Across the room, curled up in the hammock, lie Annie, who was more than happy just sitting back, watching Mikasa be the adorable mother she was born to be. 

 

“So…” Mikasa began, folding her hands in her lap neatly, “what do you think is the most _important_ thing you’ve learned in school so far?” 

 

The two boys exchanged thoughtful looks and their eyes both widened. They knew they were both thinking of the same thing.

 

“Ooo! Ooo!” surprisingly, it was Eren who raised his hand excitedly. “I know, I know!”

 

“Eren?”

 

“The day we learned the moon really _is_ made of cheese!” he folded his arms proudly and gave off a blatantly smug look. 

 

Mikasa’s eyes then bulged and her brow furrowed. She knew by the sheer sincerity in his boasting that he definitely _wasn’t_ joking. 

 

“Wh...what...?”

 

“Yeah, mom- the moon! It’s made up entirely of _cheese!_ Bet you didn’t even know that, huh?” 

 

She glared at him, flabbergasted. She knew Eren was a little dumb but this behavior was completely off the charts. 

 

“The moon is... _definitely_ not made out of cheese, Eren.” 

 

“Sure it is!” he insisted. “What else would it be?”

 

Mikasa actually didn’t have a clear answer to this. Her finger remained waved in the air, mouth open, ready to reprimand him, but no words came. 

 

“Eren’s right!” Armin came to back him up, still grinning cheerfully. “Our teacher said it was swiss cheese, to be exact.”

 

“Uh??” she ran her fingers through her hair and tugged, eyes darting down as if she were having a crisis over it.

 

“Did you seriously not know that??” Eren cackled at her expense.

 

“The moon _isn’t_ made out of cheese, that much I know for certain.” she retorted with a huff, the looked to Annie. “Honey, tell them the moon isn’t made of swiss cheese.”

 

Annie was caught completely off guard and her blue eyes practically popped out of their sockets in alarm. She had been having a good time just observing this all go down, and wasn’t planning on actually involving herself in it.

 

“Uh…” she darted her eyes from side to side nervously, “...well…”

 

Mikasa was staring fiercely at Annie and the pressure was on. Certainly she’d score some “good wife” points if she backed Mikasa up. Then again, what would this marriage be if they didn’t mess with each other from time to time?

 

“It’s...uh…” she continued to tumble over her words, “...erm…”

 

Now Mikasa’s arms were folded and her expression couldn’t be more serious.

 

“...It isn’t made of swiss cheese.” Annie blurted out. 

 

“See?” Mikasa pointed to her triumphantly. “I told you that-”

 

“-It’s actually made of _brie_.” she then cut Mikasa off.

 

As if she had been brutally slandered, Mikasa’s face contorted in horror and disgust. Her own wife was an absolute traitor. 

 

“Ohhhh!” Armin snapped his fingers giddily. “ _Brie_ cheese! That makes so much sense!”

 

“Okay well, that means our teacher was _half_ right.” Eren blew a raspberry. “Still counts, in my opinion.” 

  


This did help Annie score points with the boys, at least. From there she assisted her sons with their “homework”, which was actually just the three of them working in a coloring book together. Off to the side, Mikasa was pretending to wash a stack of dirty dishes, although she appeared to be doing it quite angrily. She was “scrubbing” the dishes with the utmost intensity, brow furrowed in rage. Annie’s stomach dropped a little once she noticed, thinking maybe she had _genuinely_ angered her.

 

“Uh...honey?” Annie hesitantly tried to capture her attention. “Everything alright?”

 

Mikasa didn’t look up from her “work”. She only continued her salty dishwater duty.

 

“Oh, absolutely wonderful, dear,” she answered without any indication this was true. “Just another marvelous day under the beautiful, tangerine sun and cauliflower clouds!” 

 

Annie felt a pang of anxiety festering inside her, while Eren couldn’t help but cackle a little at just how bitter Mikasa sounded. Eren clearly did _not_ take after her. 

 

“What’s wrong? Are you mad that you were actually wrong about something for once?” Eren heckled playfully and then flinched when Mikasa spun around to gave him a horrifying death glare.

 

“Of course not, beloved, treasured son of mine.” Mikasa came to the table to pat him on the head again, causing him to jerk uncomfortably.

 

 _“EUGh!”_ Eren cringed and wiggled out of her grasp.

 

Was Mikasa actually angry? Mikasa certainly didn’t seem like the type of person who could get this angry suddenly. 

 

“Hey are you...are you actually mad…?” worriedly, Annie broke character and whispered into her ear while she passed by.

 

Mikasa didn’t answer her with words, but rather turned to face her and offered her a reassuring wink with the most adorable curl of her lips. Annie felt a blush quickly fester against her cheeks. Mikasa was just so _cute_. She got so into her character, yet would always make sure Annie was comfortable with whatever they were doing.

 

Smiling stupidly, Annie turned her focus back to the coloring book. Though she could hardly concentrate on that now. Her wrist was floating around aimlessly, thoughts pegged elsewhere.

 

“Hey! Mom, you’re coloring outside the lines!” Eren tapped a crayon against her hand to get her attention.

 

“...huh?” Annie hummed as though she were in a trance. 

 

“You’ve got to let everyone have artistic freedom, Eren.” Armin kindly interjected. “She’s expressing herself instead of following the way the book _wants_ you to color it in!”

 

Eren’s eyes suddenly dilated, that keyword “freedom” supercharging him with inspiration.

 

“You’re right!” Eren set a foot on the table and lifted his crayon in the air like it was a world-changing weapon. “Who **_says_ ** we have to follow the book's _rules??”_

 

He snatched up a coloring book and flipped the page to an uncolored cat, then pointed at it dramatically. His voice was probably loud enough for every corner of the forest to hear.

 

“Who says we can’t make this cat blue with green stripes???” he then turned to a page showing lineart of an owl. “Who says this owl can’t be purple with yellow polka dots?? HUh??” 

 

“That’s...that’s the spirit, Eren!” Armin giggled nervously.

 

Eren slammed the coloring book back onto the table, dived into his seat and started scribbling over the lineart with a rainbow like no other. His wrist moved so quickly across the paper it was like a blur.

 

 _“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!”_ came that determined screech as he worked. 

 

“Anyone ready for lemon meringue pie?” Mikasa stepped over to the table, imaginary pie in her hands.

 

“Not now, mom!!” 

 

“Suit yourself. Armin?”

 

“Yes please!” eagerly, Armin lifted both hands out for a “slice”.

 

“Honey?” Mikasa then inquired Annie.

 

Annie was looking over at Mikasa with possibly the most lovestruck, dreamy expression Mikasa had ever seen. You could probably see tiny hearts somewhere in her eyes. It was also most likely she hadn’t heard a word anyone was saying.

 

“Honey…?” repeated Mikasa tenderly. 

 

“...Uh??” Annie clumsily snapped to reality. She shot up straight as if she been electrocuted. “Wh...what was the question?”

 

“Would you like a slice of pie, dear? It’s lemon meringue.” 

 

“Y-yeah, sure.” 

 

Mikasa plopped Annie’s “plate” to the side of her coloring book and neatly set down an invisible fork next to it.

 

“Whipped cream on top?” Mikasa made sure to ask first, holding a pretend can of whipped cream right above the plate.

 

“Um...sure?” 

 

“ _PSssHHHkkkkKK!_ ” Mikasa impersonated the sound so loudly, it nearly caused Annie to jump. 

 

“ **_Hey_ ** !” Eren peered over, eyes gleaming with rage. “You didn’t say anything about _whipped cream!_ I want some!!”

 

“Okay. Open your mouth then.” 

 

“AaaaaAAaa-”

 

“ _PPPsSSSsSSHHHhhHHHKKKK!”_ Mikasa hissed between her teeth as she swirled her hand over Eren’s mouth. She pretended to cover it over with more whipped cream than any sane human being would actually be able to swallow. 

 

“You’re going to choke him!” Annie blurted out, ready to lunge out of her chair.

 

“He’s fine.”

 

“Thmank YOh!” Eren puffed out his cheeks and happily struggled to swallow. 

 

“See? Perfectly fine.”

 

Immediately after this, Eren resumed coloring and that same concerningly fast pace. Meanwhile, Armin chuckled quietly to himself, forking pieces of imaginary pie between his lips. 

 

“Hey...so mom…” he politely poked himself back into the conversation, “before I forget...can I ask for a story? A _real_ story?”

 

“Hmm?” Mikasa’s gave him her full attention.

 

Annie looked over her shoulder and noticed Armin had been carefully attempting to color in a more complex lineart; an illustration of two lovestruck doves.

 

“How did you and other mom meet?”

 

An odd little question. Annie tilted her head towards him, then looked to Mikasa. Armin had been there for their initial meeting, had he not? Though, the look on Mikasa’s face, wandering deep in thought, implied she still floated around in the world of make-believe.

 

“I believe it was on the cusp of November, wasn’t it?” Mikasa was swift to include her wife down her fabricated memory lane. “I was visiting the farmer’s market, searching for a bushel of my favorite apples.”

 

This unexpected change of topics distracted Eren once more from his rampant coloring saga. He now sat up very straight and attentively.

 

“Unfortunately, by the time I found the only stand in the market that sold them, they had all run out. I was so disappointed. I asked them when they’d be getting another batch in, but they said they had completely harvested all their apple trees already!”

 

“Aww…” Armin pouted his lips in sympathy.

 

“But then, I heard a stranger's voice, suddenly from behind me. It was so soft, almost hesitant. The voice said, `You can have my bushel!’”

 

If this topic hadn’t regarded Annie herself, she probably wouldn’t have been able to tell this was entirely improv. Mikasa spoke about the event so believably, with the utmost confidence. 

 

“I turned around to see who had spoken, and I was met with a breathtaking pair of wispy, pale blue eyes that made me think of the crystal winter that was soon to come.”

 

Annie felt her heart thrum in her throat, eyes locked to Mikasa. Mikasa really thought her eyes were “breathtaking”?

 

“I still remember that precious look on her face, those blushing cheeks…” Mikasa even smiled some as she said this, and Annie could’ve _sworn_ she saw her blushing. 

 

Mikasa...blushing? Annie thought she might faint.

 

“ _Nghh…_ ” Annie whimpered softly to herself, too softly for anyone else to hear. She touched the back of her neck and was mortified to feel that it was burning hot. The shade of her face was probably fifty times brighter than Mikasa was even capable of turning. 

 

“My favorite thing about your mother’s face is her nose, of course.” Mikasa then winked in her direction, setting off sparks in Annie’s chest. “I’d never seen anything quite like it. It’s so...elegant!”

 

No one on this earth had ever complimented Annie’s nose, of all things. Annie thought for _sure_ she would faint this time. She let herself collapse forward, forehead slamming into the table. She was in a daze at this point and couldn’t comprehend being praised by someone she felt so much affection for. 

 

“Anyways!” Mikasa then giggled, innocently almost, as if she knew _exactly_ what she was doing to Annie. “I was absolutely speechless. She handed me her basket of apples, even though she probably enjoyed them as much as I did! I felt so sorry that I was taking them from her, that I invited her over to share the apple pie I was planning to bake that night. She said yes too!”

 

“ _Awwwwwwww!”_ the boys cooed in unison.

 

Mikasa’s eyes became glossed over in a daydream as she mentioned this part, as smitten with Annie as Annie was smitten with her.

 

“And then...she said the most romantic thing…” she paused to glance over to Annie while gesturing at the boys, “...you tell them the next part, dear. What was it you said to me again?”

 

Annie couldn’t manage to formulate English, or anything coherent. 

 

“Mmmmrmfffhffbbflele….” Annie gurgled, still sprawled onto the table as if she were slowing slipping back into consciousness.

  
“Yes, exactly! _‘Mmmmrmfffhffbbflele’!”_ Mikasa repeated her gibberish without so much as a bat of her eye. She still sounded so whimsical, so enamored with everything about Annie. “You have such a way with words…”


End file.
